Vatican Conference Examines the Harmful Effects of Psychiatric Medications on Children and Expectant Moms

THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR HEALTH CARE WORKERS: THE ‘GOOD SAMARITAN’ FOUNDATION

 

By Maria Mangicaro

Vatican City:  An event six years in the making, “The Child as a Person and as a Patient: Therapeutic Approaches Compared,” took place last week in the Vatican City.

The international conference examined the harmful effects of using prescription drugs rather than therapy to treat emotional disorders and symptoms considered to be mental illnesses in children and expectant mothers.  Author Robert Whitaker, Irving Kirsch, Joanna Moncrieff, Pat Bracken, Giovanni Fava, Jaakko Seikkula, were among those who participated in the conference.

Organizers of the conference stated: “We want this conference to show a scholarly perspective and then we also want to disseminate our information to a wider audience with the Vatican’s help,”

The Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers organized the conference in hopes of bringing together diverse perspectives from professionals to discuss the harmful consequences of overusing prescription drugs for treating mental and emotional disorders in children as well as how a similar trend is hurting pregnant mothers.

Psychologist Barry Duncan helped organize the conference and provided this interview to the Catholic News Agency:

“Pharmaceutical industries spend millions and millions of dollars on misinformation and we want to counteract that with this conference,”

According to Duncan, misinformed physicians are now more frequently prescribing children one of two main groups of drugs, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, better known as SSRIs, and anti-psychotics.

“SSRIs double the risk of suicide for children while anti-psychotics cause cardiovascular problems, obesity and diabetes,” said Duncan.

He said prescriptions for psychiatric drugs have increased by 274 percent globally in over 50 countries since 2003. In the United States alone, 11 million SSRIs are being given to children each year, he added.

“Anti-psychotics used to be reserved for adults with serious mental disorders but now they’re being given to children who are poor because it is the easier option,” he added.

The conference hopes to prove that “psychosocial options” are better than “psychotropic care.” In other words, a sort of psychotherapy is safer than drugs, which are the cheaper and faster option.

“The cause of their problems varies a lot since they could have parents with alcohol or drug addictions or it could just stem from poverty issues so the causes to their behavior could be wide ranging,” he said.

According to the psychologist, the people giving these children drugs are not treating the root of their problems and are just “sedating and controlling” them to make the unruly children more “manageable.”

“That’s why we need to take the time to find out the problem looking at poverty and despair and not just a quick fix,” he added.

Duncan explained that this is mostly affecting children aged 6 to 17, but younger children are also being unnecessarily drugged, even by health care workers who are not doctors and are therefore not aware of the severe side effects of the medication.

“Nurses and psychologists can prescribe them with these drugs in some states in the U.S., but it is mostly primary care physicians prescribing them and they do not know much about clinical trial results,” he stated. “One of the problems is that epidemiological research is always two or three years behind.”

Experts taking part in the conference also hope to show that the risks heavily outweigh the benefits of the drugs.

“Honest science recommends no first usage of psychiatric drugs and to try everything else first because there is good sound data to prove this,” said Marcia Barbacki, an occupational therapist who has experience treating children told CNA May 30.

Barbacki said patients are not well informed of all of the side effects because “it is hard to access all of the data.”

“If it is very difficult for doctors to obtain all of the data and be informed of all of the side effects, how will family and patients be informed?” she asked. “This is why this conference is so important for them.”

The therapist noted people “should have all of the information about these drugs so they can have informed consent.”

“I have witnessed an increased usage of psychiatric drugs as well as people who consume more than one psychiatric drug simultaneously and it’s increased my concern,”she said.

The president of the Council, Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, will make the opening speech.

If you are concerned about the overuse of psychiatric medications on children and expectant mothers, consider attending the 16th Annual Conference of the International Society for Ethical Psychology and Psychiatry, Inc. (ISEPP), taking place Nov. 1-3, 2013 in Greensboro, N.C.

Rethinking Mental Health Care for Children & Adolescents:  Evidence-Based and Experienced-Based Alternatives to the Medical Model

Up to 22 CEU’s are available to psychologists, social workers, counselors and marriage and family therapists.

For information please contact Dr. Michael Gilbert at docgilbert@hotmail.com or at (315) 382-0541.

 

Update on David Oaks from MindFreedom

Greetings,

No doubt many of you, if not most of you on this list know of David Oaks, MindFreedom’s co-founder, and his 40+ years of tireless dedication  to the movement for a non-violent revolution in the mental health system.  And no doubt you’re aware of his tragic accident last December that has left him paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. Well he is back from his long stay at Craig Rehab Hospital in Colorado and, as the saying goes, he is bloodied, but not bowed.

David is determined to continue contributing to the success of the movement for psychiatric patients rights and he is as sharp and determined as he ever was!*

I am writing, as a representative of The Friends Of David Oaks (a small group of friends and family that includes his wife, Debra, his brother Tony and his mother Violet)
to let you know he is in need of your kind support.

As you might imagine, David’s medical expenses have been staggering. His and Debra’s limited savings have been completely depleted over the last several months. Throughout this ordeal, his brother Tony has stayed at his side while Debra has continued working on her job which fortunately provides some medical insurance coverage for David but not enough to meet his needs. She also took on the role of general contractor for the extensive renovations being done to their small home in west Eugene to accommodate David and to arrange for a lifetime of ongoing care.

Sadly, because of the severity of his injuries, David will be confined to a motorized wheelchair for the rest of his life.

After so many years of selfless, committed activism on behalf of those who struggle against the abuses of the psychiatric system, will you consider lending your support in his hour of need?

THREE SUPER EASY WAYS YOU CAN HELP

1) DONATE

Please give whatever amount you can! Two ways to make a contribution to help David and his wife Debra:

DONATE online: Look for the BIG blue DONATE button on his new web site (under the video clip):
http://www.supportdavidoaks.org/

or.. Send a check. Please make your check payable to: “David W Oaks Irrevocable Trust”

Please send your check directly to:
David W Oaks Irrevocable Trust
c/o Chase Bank
1100 Willamette St.
Eugene OR 97401

The bank tells us it would help them if you referenced account number 3008433244 in the memo line of your check.
Be sure to put your return address on your envelope.
David’s mom Violet tries to write personal Thank You notes to all contributors.

2) SPREAD THE WORD!

We have created a simple fundraising web site that we want to put in front of as many people as we can–as quickly as we can:
http://www.supportdavidoaks.org/

If you do forward this email to others and would like to explain who David is or further explain his life, we have put David’s story together on this page of his web site:
http://www.supportdavidoaks.org/davids-story/

This page helps explains his accident:
http://www.supportdavidoaks.org/davids-accident/

3) SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL NEWS ALERTS HERE:
http://supportdavidoaks.us7.list-manage2.com/subscribe?u=b4a80e834f46352f468ad7f99&id=430a37c245

We’ll keep you up-to-date about new events or videos as they become available.

———————————————-

Thank you so much for caring!

On behalf of the Friends Of David Oaks,
John Jordan-Cascade

*Stay tuned to the MindFreedom web site for details of his appearance on their next BlogTalk Radio Internet radio show onJune 8th.

——————————————–

DISCLAIMER
Until his accident, David W. Oaks was the inspiring, committed and tireless Executive Director of MindFreedom for 25 years.
Donations to the David W. Oaks Irrevocable Trust are not tax deductible and do not benefit MindFreedom.

——————————————-

To get more information about David Oaks, his accident and see recent videos
or to find David’s DONATE button, go to: www.SupportDavidOaks.org

Fundraising begins for the Tyler Kowalczyk Foundation for ADHD Awareness

Fundraising has been started to help establish the Tyler Kowalczyk Foundation as a not-for-profit organization and collect donations to continue to educate parents, guardians and educators on the harmful effect of ADHD medications.

The goal of this fundraiser is only $650 by June 22nd, which would have been Tyler’s 11th birthday.   Please consider supporting this wonderful cause.  Click here to donate.

By Tyler’s Father – Walter Kowalczyk

Tyler died Christmas night 2010, he had a heart attack from pulmonary congestion found in an autopsy. This was from heart failure he experienced while on the medication Metadate. This is another name for Ritalin.

He died suddenly in his sleep without warning around 11pm Christmas Night. Since he was taken from me I learned that the medication they had him on causes horrible side effects like tourette syndrome and sudden death and I wondered why no one ever told me that I was playing russian roulette with my sons life.

So angered by this I started the Tyler Kowalczyk Foundation, dedicated to giving parents the real truth about these drugs. In the past 2 years, without funding, I have done SO much to spread awareness about these horrible medications and what they are actually doing to our children. I have spoken at large gatherings with parents and educators, I have been in documentaries, one that was submitted to the Sundance Film Festival last year. H

I have a Facebook group with a 1,000 members and a Youtube channel with 10,000 views, I run the website ADHDecide.org and I share my story with everyone I meet. However, I have come to realize, this isn’t enough. The last report I saw is that 6 out of every 10 children are being diagnosed and subsequently drugged. That’s over 10 million children who are being drugged at one point in their life and the number keeps rising. Meanwhile the horrible food additives like high frutose corn syrup, the food dyes and the lack of essential minerals and vitamins isnt even being discussed. Possible food allergies are not even being discussed, because the information isnt being presented to them.

The children and parents have NO idea the truth about the dangers of these medications and the harm being caused.  Currently I make videos on Youtube telling the people about the true causes of this behavior and the safe natural treatments that exist.

I have reached thousands in the past 2 years since burying my perfect little son, but I have only begun. I have paid for everything since day one with my own money, but have fallen short with so much that I would like to do. With this money, the Tyler Kowalczyk Foundation can become a legit non profit, and start other forms of fundraising.

My plan, once I can afford it, is to meet with the US Department of Education heads and insist they provide funding and access to the schools and teachers to re-educate them about this in efforts to save the lives of thousands. If you would like any information about what I have done in the past 2 years and what I plan to do, please contact me.

Once again this money will allow me to establish a not-for-profit organization, as well as continue hosting for all of my websites, advertising and printing, and many other events and avenues to reach people. I have flyers posted in day cares and pet stores, anywhere I can to get the information out. I just need some help with some of the costs. As far as I can tell, there aren’t too many other people doing this, so if I have to be the SINGLE voice that will change things in this country I will.

Sorry if this was too long, my son was my everything and I shouldnt have ever trusted his doctors. For this mistake, I have paid the ultimate price. My website is www.ADHDecide.org but just Google my or Tyler’s name and you can find a lot of information about what I have done in such a small amount of time.

We have only begun our fight, and with your help, we can save the future for our children!!!Thank you for reading about the life and death of the greatest little boy to ever walk the earth, my tears are only validation of how amazing he is and how much is hurts to walk this earth without him. God Bless

Mental Health Advocate Corinna West on Poetry for Personal Power sponsorship kickoff

I have finally figured out what I want to do when I grow up! After my winter of re-prioritizing my business according to God’s plan, I think I now have it: focus on Poetry for Personal Power and stop talking about revolution or medical harm. We now have a crowdfunding appeal and would love your help:

 

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/poetry-for-personal-power-sponsorship-kickoff/x/3155858

 

We work with spoken word poets, hip hop artists, and rappers to spread mental health messaging into the “cool kids” communities. We teach them how to do grant writing, marketing, and event documentation so that they can access health care funding and build jobs.

The way that this project does missionary work is that many kids who have spiritual awakenings end up in the mental health system instead of finding a church home. This is how society says we need to deal with strong emotions nowadays. So, instead, the kids talk about how they use other tools to overcome adversity. About 20% of them have very powerful poems about using their religion to get through difficulity. Here is a playlist of some of their poems about their faith helping them. 

 

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLePxiZ4YtCeDB9VoaGLZNODPa74kM9l4P

 

Thanks so much,

 

-Corinna

Oral Argument in ex rel Watson v. King-Vassel, April 25, 2013

Hello,

I thought you might be interested in listening to Thursday’s 20 minute Oral Argument in ex rel Watson v. King-Vassel, April 25, 2013, in front of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago.  This case is based on PsychRights’ Medicaid Fraud Initiative Against Psychiatric Drugging of Children & Youth.   I handled the appeal.   The briefs and a few of the trial court proceedings can be found at United States and the State of Wisconsin ex rel. Dr. Toby Watson v. Jennifer King-Vassel.

The technical issue on appeal is a lawyer nerd question about whether expert testimony is required but, I like to think it has a succinct and clear explanation of why even though a doctor can prescribe a drug for anything, if they prescribe one off-label to a child they are causing a False Claim (committing Medicaid Fraud) unless the use has support in at least one of the specified drug references called Compendia.

James B. (Jim) Gottstein, Esq.

President/CEO

Law Project for Psychiatric Rights
406 G Street, Suite 206
Anchorage, Alaska  99501
USA
Phone: (907) 274-7686  Fax: (907) 274-9493
jim.gottstein@psychrights.org
http://psychrights.org/

Dr. Toby Tyler Watson, Psy.D., specializes in integrating Evidence Based Practices with his strong Psychodynamic and Analytic conceptualization, and behavioral mode of delivery.  He has a special interest and expertise at relaying long term research best care practices for individuals seeking information on psychotropic medications. 

Dr. Watson has testified as an Expert Witness for both for the “State” as well as for private clients.  He welcomes helping and consulting with individuals throughout the United States, as is available for court ordered examinations and evaluations.  He is also a continuing education facilitator for both psychologists (C.E.) and attorneys, having developed dozens of CEUs for practitioners.  He is available for consulting, speeches and phone consultations.

 

 

 

Spiritual Issues in Psychosis: Presented by Ron Unger, LCSW

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

1080 Emeline Ave., Large Auditorium

**This training counts toward 6 hours of Cultural Competence credit**

Santa Cruz, CA:  There will be 2 free, 6 hour seminars on alternative approaches to what gets called “psychosis” on April 8th and 9th, 2013!  These seminars will offer CEUs to those who need them.

There will be 2 free, 6 hour seminars on alternative approaches to what gets called “psychosis” on April 8th and 9th, 2013!  These seminars will offer CEUs to those who need them.

The first seminar will be on the cognitive therapy approach to psychosis, with a strong emphasis on how psychosis can be a normal and understandable response to stressful human events especially trauma, and how to work collaboratively with people to help them actively recover rather than just wait passively for medications to “work.”  I will be the only presenter for that one.

The second seminar will be on spiritual issues in psychosis, and will explore how psychotic experiences, far from being meaningless symptoms of illness, typically involve people struggling with some of the most fundamental questions of human existence, those which traditionally have been called spiritual.  It will explore how to conceptualize psychosis as not inevitably all bad, but as possibly a mix of helpful and unhelpful experiences, and how staying open to the possibility of positive transformation may be associated with recovery.  For this seminar I am honored to be joined by Michael Cornwall Ph.D., a man who has had the experience of working in a ward where people were allowed to work through psychotic experiences without medication.

Details are below.  Also below is information about two seminars later this week in Berkeley CA:  however the Berkeley seminars are not free!

Ron Unger

Cognitive Therapy for Psychosis: An Individualized Psychological Approach

    Presented by Ron Unger, LCSW

         Monday, April 8, 2013

          2:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

1051 Cayuga St., Santa Cruz, CA 95062

**This training counts toward 6 hours of Cultural Competence credit**

Please register in advance by contacting Balvina Collazo at 454-4519 or e-mail your RSVP to:  mhsastraining@health.co.santa-cruz.ca.us

ISEPP Acknowledges a Mother’s Petition to the Governor of Minnesota

 

In November 2003, a psychiatrist at the University of Minnesota enrolled a mentally ill, delusional young man named Dan Markingson into a profitable industry-funded study of antipsychotic drugs.

Dan was enrolled in the study despite the fact that his mother objected; despite the fact that he had repeatedly been judged incapable of giving informed consent; and despite the fact that he was under an involuntary commitment order that legally compelled him to obey the recommendations of his psychiatrist.

For months his mother, Mary Weiss, tried desperately to get him out of the study, warning the research team that Dan’s condition was deteriorating and that he was in danger of killing himself. They refused to listen to her.  On May 8, 2004, Dan committed suicide.

Mary and her friend, Mike Howard, have spent the better part of the past nine years trying to have the University of Minnesota held accountable for Dan’s death. But the university has fought back viciously. In 2008, when Mary’s lawsuit against the university was dismissed on technical grounds (“sovereign immunity”), the University of Minnesota claimed victory and filed a legal action against Mary for $57,000, which it then used to pressure her into giving up her rights of appeal.

Last week, Mary and Mike started a started a petition to the governor of Minnesota, asking for an external investigation of Dan’s death and other troubling research issues in the Department of Psychiatry.  In one week, over 1000 people have signed the petition. Signatories include Marcia Angell and Jerome Kassirer, both of them former editors of the New England Journal of Medicine; Susan Reverby, the Wellesley historian who uncovered the US-led Guatemala syphilis studies; Ron Paterson, the former Health and Disability Commissioner for New Zealand, and well over a hundred scholars in medical ethics, health law and other health-related disciplines.

Click here for a link to the petition.

Please consider signing. And if you would like to know more before you make up your mind, have a look at some of these links:
Carl Elliott, “Making a Killing,” Mother Jones

Jeremy Olson and Paul Tosto, “Dan Markingson had Delusions,” St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Maura Lerner and Janet Moore, “Once-secret Drug Company Records put U on the Spot,” Minneapolis Star Tribune

Andy Mannix, “Charles Schulz under Scrutiny for Seroquel Study Suicide”

Judy Stone, “A Clinical Trial and Suicide Leave Many Questions, Part 5,” Scientific American blogs

ISEPP 2013 CONFERENCE: CALL FOR PAPERS

ISEPP Annual Conference

Rethinking Mental Health Care for Children & Adolescents: evidence-based & experience-based alternatives to the medical model

November 1-3 2013

Embassy Suites (Airport) – Greensboro NC

CALL FOR PAPERS

The International Society for Ethical Psychology & Psychiatry, Inc. is accepting proposals for presentations related to alternative approaches and perspectives in mental health care for youth (e.g., Integrative Medicine, Trauma Informed Care, Child Therapy, Nutrition, Parenting, Mindfulness, Play, Family Therapy, Advocacy/Activism, Bullying, etc).

PROPOSAL FOR BREAKOUT SESSION*

(Information as it would appear in conference program)

1. Name of Presenter(s) and Credentials:

2. Title of Presentation:

3. Preferred Length of Presentation (not guaranteed): □ 45 minutes □ 60 minutes □ 90 minutes

4. Brief Summary of Presentation (200 words or less):

please include outline and estimated time for each segment (e.g., Intro – 5 minutes, Discussion/Q&A – 15 minutes)

5. Learning Objectives:

6. Target Audience (e.g. professionals, parents, survivors, etc.):

7. Format (e.g. workshop, lecture, discussion, interactive, etc.):

8. Short Biography (200 words or less) of Presenter(s):

9. A/V or other items needed (e.g., projector/screen, flipchart/markers, etc.):

Note: LCD Projectors, Screens, and power cords will be provided. Presenters are expected to bring their own laptop as well as any necessary adaptors (e.g., for Apple products).

*Presenters are expected to register for and attend conference.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: MAY 4 2013

EMAIL INFORMATION TO ISEPPCONFERENCE13@GMAIL.COM

ISEPP 2013: An Exploration of Hope, Healing and the Human Spirit

Free Event at the University at Buffalo Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention

Colloquium – Adolescent Social Drama: Is it Conflict, Aggression, Bullying, or Something Else?

Katy Allen, Ph.D.
President | Impact Training, Inc.

February 28, 2013
11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. (brown bag lunch; light refreshments provided)
120 Clemens Hall | UB North Campus
Buffalo, NY (map)

Students live in a complex social environment rife with peer conflict and “drama,” which may or may not be bullying. Katy Allen, Ph.D. will present research that explores “drama,” which she defines as social interactions characterized by overreaction, exaggeration, prolongation, inflated and temporary relevance, excessive emotionality, and involvement of extraneous individuals. She will consider the reasons why adolescents “do drama” and discuss the subtle ways that drama can become aggression and bullying.

This is a FREE event, but registration is required by February 26th.

“Running from Crazy”: Mariel Hemingway Tackles Family History of Suicide, Mental Illness in New Documentary

democracynow

Cook County Jail releases shocking video of inmates suffering from symptoms of “mental illness”

By Maria Mangicaro

Chicago, Illinois:  At any one time over 11,000 prisoners, a mix of suspects awaiting trial and those convicted of minor crimes, are housed in the Cook County Jail.  Sheriff Tom Dart estimates that about 2,000 of them suffer from some form of serious mental illness, far more than at the big state-owned Elgin Mental Health Center, which has 582 beds.

Cook County Jail is our nation’s largest single site jail and discharges close to 100,000 people each year. Many of those discharged will be homeless, without resources and in need of support services.

This week CBS Chicago gave this report on what is known as the largest mental health hospital in the country.

Sheriff Tom Dart says he wants you to be shocked by it because he says it proves there are people behind bars who should not be there.

In the video, Cook County Jail officers were greeted with screaming when they opened a cell to check on a mentally ill inmate.  What you can’t see in real time is that the inmate scales a balcony fence and leaps off the second floor. He is then seen on the lower level trying to get out of the secure area. It’s dangerous behavior that Sheriff Tom Dart says is common in a jail.

“This is every day. This isn’t unique,” said Dart.

And neither is what one inmate did when she smeared her cell door with feces. When correctional officers approach she does a flip off the bed.

Dr. David Healy on “Side Effects”

Not so Black: Ablixa and Homicidal Side Effects

If you don’t want to know what happens in the movie Side Effects – do not read further. The post does not reveal all but does reveal important details.

So now we know Soderbergh’s movie Side Effects is not so Black/Noir after all – more Fifty Shades of Grey. Emily Hawkins (Rooney Mara) is put on Ablixa by her psychiatrist Jonathan Banks (Jude Law) and while on it kills her husband. She apparently murders him while sleep-walking triggered by Ablixa and sleep walking being a perfect defense against murder she is acquitted.

The first part of the movie is an expose of the pharmaceutical industry and greedy doctors. But in fact the industry and greedy doctors are the victims of wicked lesbians Hawkins and her former shrink, Victoria Siebert (Catherine Zeta Jones), who helps construct her alibi while both make a killing in the stock market by investing against Ablixa.

Not so Noir

Do they get away with it – I’m not telling you. Their attempt to do so though is a twist in the tale that’s supposed to be Noir.

One of the best definitions of Noir comes from the humorist Tom Sharpe, who describes an incident in the South African navy when he and colleagues were scrubbing a ship, and one of their colleagues fell overboard just as an Admiral walked up the gang plank. Everyone had to stand-to for an inspection by the Admiral, and while they did so the sailor who had fallen overboard drowned.

Click here to read more at DavidHealy dot org.

Side Effects – Official Trailer (HD)

Dr. David Healy is an internationally respected psychiatrist, psychopharmacologist, scientist, and author. A professor of Psychiatry in Wales.

‘Every Parents Worst Nightmare’: Violent School Behavior Caught On Camera and leads to lawsuit

Published on Oct  4, 2012

A surveillance camera captured a disturbing and violent school beating at a middle school in Indiana. Now, the teenager and his parents are suing the school district because they say it isn’t doing enough to prevent instances of bullying.

Bullying Prevention: Research Highlights from UB’s Alberti Center

Posted by: Maria Mangicaro

Uploaded by     UBNOW on Nov 22, 2011

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB’s more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.  Click here to learn more about the Dr. Jean M. Alberti Center for the Prevention of Bullying Abuse and School Violence

The ISEPP 2013 conference, is scheduled for November 1-3, 2013 at the Embassy Suites Greensboro – Airport, 204 Centreport Drive, Greensboro, North Carolina, 27409.

The ISEPP annual conferences are a major outlet for cutting-edge information regarding school violence, behavioral issues, cyberbullying, behavioral and mental health concerns in our schools.

The Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care, and It’s About Childhood and Family will be joining us in Greensboro.

Please check back for our Call for Papers and more information regarding our fall mental health conference.